Bowling-alley pit mat and method of making same



June 8 1926.

J. A. KOTTLER BOWLING ALLEY PIT MA'I AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Feb.

.1 TTORNEY.

. balls or pins.

Patented June 8, 1926.

JOHN ALBERT KOTTLER, .OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

BOWLING-ALLEY PIT MA rAun METHOD or MAKING SAME.

Application filed February 9, 1923. Serial No. 618,025.

This invention relates to improvements in bowling alley pit mats and method of making same.

Bowling alleys of the ordinary type have pits of lower elevation at the rear ends of the alleys proper for receiving and checking the movement of the balls played on the alleys. The balls which are rolled on the alleys land into the pits or knock the pins therein with great force, with the result that the alleys are very noisy and balls and pins are badly damaged unless means are provided for cushioning the impact of the Ordinary mats which are used for this purpose soon give out under the strain and can only be used for comparatively a short time.

It is one of the objects of the present in- I vention to overcome the before mentioned objectionable features and provide a bowling alley pit mat which is very resilient to cushion the blows, and is very strong and durable to withstand the strain of the imact.

p A further object of theinvention is to provide a bowling alley pit mat formedfrom a single length of rope which may form both the warp and the weft portions of the mat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bowling alley pit mat'whichis reversible and in which both sides are of similar appearance and wearing quality.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bowling alley pit mat which is so woven or braided as to permit the dust and dirt to pass freely therethrough.

A further object of the invention isto provide a bowling-alley pit mat which may be very easily and simply made by the improved method.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bowling alley pit mat which is of very simple construction, and is well adapted for the purpose described.

\Vith the above and other objects in View, the invention consists of the'improved bowling alley pit mat and method of making the same, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof. r

In the accompanying drawing in which the same parts are indicated by the same reference numerals in all. of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of the completed mat, the braiding being shown in open form to illustrate method of forming the mat, the View also showing a portion ofdthe mat in the course of construction; an i Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof taken on a larger scale.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates a single length of rope pref erably formed of fibre but which may be formed of coir yarn, cloth or. any other desirable material. This rope is first woven or braided under and over a series of parallel lengths of metal tubes 6 in staggered relation to form what might be termed the Warp ropes 7. V

The tubes are arranged in spaced relation and of sufiicient number to form a mat of the desired length. When thus arranged thewarp ropes are wound back and forth and around the outer end tubes to form the selvage 7 as indicated in Fig. l to provide the desiredwidth, and the end of the rope is then passed through the adjacent end of the end tube at the" point indicated by the numeral 8, and when the rope is taut, the tube through which it extends is withdrawn from the warp loop and from the transverse portion of the rope which might be termed the 'weft rope 9. The end of the rope is then passed through the end of the next tube in the opposite direction and this tube is then withdrawn and the operationis repeateduntil all of the weft ropes are interwoven in the manner shown, and the ends of the rope are .then woven into the mat as indicated by the numeral 10. The looped end portions of the weft ropes 9 form the side selvage 9 of the mat.

As thus constructed, the mat is of single ply and very strong and elastic and will withstand the work in a veryeflicient man-v ner.

While the improved mat is shown as formed from a single length of-rope, it is to be understood that a number of lengths ofrope may be used in forming the mat by the r improved method.

From the foregoing description, it will ,be

seen that the bowling alley pit mat and method of making same is very simple and well adapted for the purpose described.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. The method of making a mat which consists in positioning a line of spaced parallel tubes and weaving a warp rope back and forth transversely alternately on opposite sides of said tubes and looping the rope around the end tubes thereof, then threading a weft rope at right angles to the warp ropes through the adjacent tube and then withdrawing said tube from the warp ropes and from the weft rope and then repeatingv the operation until all of the tubes have been threaded and removed, and then securing the terminal ends of the rope within the confines of the mat, the looped portions of said warp rope forming the selvage edges of the mat.

2. The method of making a mat which consists in positioning a line of spaced parallel tubes and weaving a warp rope back and forth transversely alternately on opposite sides of said tubes and looping the rope around the end tubes thereof, and then threading a weft rope at right angles to the warp rope through the adjacent tube and then withdrawing said tube from the warp ropes and from the weft rope, then forming an edge loop to the next tube and repeating the operation until all of the tubes have been threaded and removed, and then weav-- ing the terminal end portions of the warp and weft rope between the adjacent woven portions of the mat, the looped portions of said warp and weft rope forming the selvage edges of the mat.

The method of making pit mats for bowling alleys as a single-plyfabric, which consists in arranging a continuous Warp about tubular shed formers, introducing avei'tsinto the shed formers and withdrawbowling alleys, which consists in arranging a continuous warp over and under a series of shed formers to produce a fabric of the desired length and width, inserting wefts through the sheds created by the shed formers, and thereafter withdrawing the shed formers without disturbing the position of the inserted wefts.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

JOHN ALBERT KOTTLER. 

